The term court interpreter in this code of ethics refers to professional
interpreters working in courts of law, including sign language interpreters. The
function of the court interpreter in the court session is to render the
proceedings accurately and reliably.

The court interpreter has a crucial role in ensuring a fair trial. Through
the practice of his/her profession, he/she contributes to the upholding of basic
rights and in particular to the principle of equal treatment in front of the
law. His/her work may affect the lives and rights of others. Therefore he/she
shall adhere to this code of ethics in his/her work.

Article 1

General principles

1.1 This code of ethics shall be adhered to unless the law or statutes
stipulate otherwise.

1.2 The court interpreter shall prepare for his/her assignment as well as
possible and carry it out assiduously and to the best of his/her abilities.

1.3 The court interpreter shall liase with the chairman or other
representative of the court to ensure that the working conditions are
appropriate.

Article 2

Disqualification

The court interpreter shall be deemed disqualified and shall not accept an
assignment if performance of it were to place him/her in a conflict of interest
that might endanger the objectivity of the interpretation.

Article 3

Confidentiality

The court interpreter shall not reveal to any person confidential information
that he/she has obtained in the performance of his/her assignment.

Article 4

Improper use of information

The court interpreter shall not use information that he/she has obtained in
the performance of his/her assignment for his/her own benefit, nor shall he/she
help others to derive benefit from such information.

Article 5

Impartiality and neutrality

The court interpreter shall at all times be impartial and neutral. He/she
shall not allow his/her personal attitudes or opinions to influence the
performance of his/her assignment.

Article 6

Professional skill

The court interpreter shall only accept assignments for which he/she
possesses the requisite knowledge and skill. The court interpreter shall be
responsible for the correctness of his/her interpretation and shall correct any
mistakes that he/she makes.

Article 7

Professional development

The court interpreter shall interact with his/her colleagues, develop his/her
professional skills and act in a way that stands the profession in good stead.

Article 8

Breach of the code of ethics

This code of professional ethics has been drawn up by the Finnish Association
of Translators and Interpreters, the Finnish Union of Translators, the Finnish
Association of the Deaf and the Association of Finnish Sign Language
Interpreters. Should there be reasonable grounds to suspect that the court
interpreter has intentionally breached this code of ethics, he/she shall be
granted the opportunity to be heard by the association or professional
organisation to which he/she belongs with a view to establishing the possible
reasons. Should the court interpreter be found to have acted in contravention of
this code of professional ethics, each organisation shall take measures in
accordance with the rules applying to its members.